Paper-feeding machine.



No. 659,5). Patented Oct. 9', I900. T. C. DEXTER.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Nov. 17, 189?.) (No Model.) ,3 Sheets-Shut I.

WITNESSES /N VENTOR THE panama PETERS co wo'roumo. wnsummun, n c.

No. 659,5!0. Patented Oct. 9, I900. T. C. DEXTER.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

(Application filnd Nov. 17, 1899.) (No Model.) 4 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES IN VENTOI'T WQ6W 1m: Norms PETERS co. "momma, wuumomu. u. c.

No. 659,5l0. Patented Oct. 9,1900.

' T. C. DEXTER.

PAPER FEEDING MACHINE. A limiozi mean. 17, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

STATES "ATENT OFFICE.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,510, dated October 9, 1900.

Application filed November 17, 1899. Seri l N 737,36Z- N m L To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, TALBOT O. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The type of paper-feeding machine to which my improvements particularly relate may be found in Patent No. 623,770, granted to me April 25, 1899. In this type of machine the sheets are supported upon an automaticallyadjustable table in position to have the successive sheets preliminarily separated from the pile and afterward fed off by a suitable feeding mechanism to a paper-folding machine, printing-press, ruling-machine, or other machine designed to operate upon the paper.

My present improvements relate to the mechanism for effecting the preliminary separation of the top sheet from the pile preparatory to the operation of the feeding-off mechanism. The mechanism usually employed for effecting this preliminary separation of the top sheet comprises two sets of sheetbuckling devices arranged to operate upon the two rear corners of the pile of sheets for buckling or arching the rear corners to allow blasts of air to be blown under the top sheet. Such mechanisms have operated satisfactorily in most cases; but on certain classes of papersuch, for instance, as highly-glazed stock-it is necessary to add so much springpressure to the buckling-fingers to give them sutiicient frictional hold upon this glazed stock that several sheets will be moved at the same time. It is therefore very desirable to insure an effective hold of the buckling-fingers upon the sheet without this excessive.

downward pressure. It is also desirable to insure a more complete separation of the top sheet from the pile throughout its entire ex tent. I therefore propose to provide means for positively engaging, moving, and lifting the top sheet at or near its rear edge, preferably adjacent to its corners, without excessive downward pressure upon the pile, so as to insure against the movement of more than one sheet and permit a more uniform injection of an air-blast under the entire top sheet.

For positively engaging, moving, and lifting the top sheet of the pile I preferably applya suction device to a form of sheet-buckling mechanism, in'which case the suction device will be carried by the buckling-finger and it may either take the place of the usual rubber pad or be used in conjunction with the friction-pad to increase its hold upon the sheet and enable it to lift the sheet, and the operating mechanism will be arranged to'lift the suction buckling-finger at the end of its inner stroke and support it in elevated position during its rearward stroke, the suction-em gaging device holding onto the sheet during the elevation of the buckling-finger and a portion of its rearward stroke in elevated position. The suction of the pneumatic suction device is regulated to engage and disengage the sheets at the proper points in thecycle of operation.

The main advantages of myimproved mechanism for effecting the preliminary separation of the sheets of a pile as applied to a sheet-buckling mechanism are, first, the more effective engagement of the buckling-finger with the sheet without excessive pressure, causing the sheet to move with the bucklingfinger more positively and avoiding the move ment of more than one sheet at a time, and,

secondly, the capacity of the buckling-finger for elevating the sheet to more readily admit of the injection of the blast of air more uniformly under the entire sheet.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of one of a pair of sheet-buckling mechanisms, showing the parts in the position assumed at the beginning of the inward buckling movement of the buckling-finger. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the position assumed immediately after the inward movement of the buckling-finger is completed, the finger being elevated for its-backward movement. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectivelya side elevation and a top plan view of a modified form of my improved sectional buckling-finger.

The pile of paper B to be fed to the folder,

printing-press, or otherinachine is mounted upon an antomatically-adjustable table in a manner well understood and not herein shown. But one of a pair of sheet-buckling, mechanisms is illustrated in my drawings; but it will be understood that two of such mechanisms are preferably employed, as well understood by those skilled in the art. As shown in my above-named patent, these two sets of buckling mechanisms are usually adjustably mounted upon a suitable supportingframe, so that they may be adjusted vertically, transversely, and longitudinally with respect to the pile. I have only shown a part of the support-ing-frame and refer to my said patent for a fuller explanation of the specific construction and arrangement of a suitable form of such a frame.

1 .2 are parts of the adjustable buckler-supporting frame, which frame is mounted above the pile of sheets in the main frame of the machine. (Not shown.)

is the casting mounted upon the bar 2 and adjustable thereon transversely of the pile of sheets.

6 is a vertically-adjustable slide or bracket arm which is vertically movable in the guideway formed in the rear face of the casting 5 and held in any desired adjusted position by means of the screw 7, controlled by the crank 8. At the lower end of the vertically-sliding bracket-arm 6 is formed a horizontally-extending plate 9, upon the rear face of which are form ed integral horizontal flanges 10,forming, with the plate 9, a dovetail guidewayfor the reception of the horizontally-1-eciprocating buckler slide or carriage 11.

12 is the buckling'finger, journaled upon a bolt 13, which projects from the bucklerslide 11.

15 is a holding-down foot or clamp at the forward end of an arm 16, whichis journaled at 17 to the bracket 18 of the plate 9. H 19 is a lever journaled at 20 upon the forward face of the plate 9 and provided with an antifriction-roller 21, jonrnaled upon a stud upon lever 19. Lever 19 is connected to the heel 23 of arm 16 through the medium of a link 24.

Journaled in brackets 25, secured to the vertical slide 6, is a short rotary shaft 27, having keyed to it a cam 28, which intermittently engages the antifriction-roller 21 of lever 19 for raising the holding-down foot or clamp 15 from the pile. The holding-down foot or clamp is provided with a torsional spring, (not shown,) giving it a normal spring tendency to move into engagement with the pile.

is an auxiliary frictional device operating adjacent to the holding-down foot or clamp 15, such as covered broadly in my Patent No. 615,817, granted December 13,1898,

"The buckling-finger 12 is provided with the customary torsional spring, (not shown,) ten ding to move it downwardly into engagement with the pile with a light pressure.

is a bell-cr an k lever journaled upon th bolt 13 alongside of the buckling-finger 12 and formed with a finger 36, which projects heneath the buckling-finger.

37 and 38 are lugs upon the slide 11, adapted to engage the vertical arm of the bellcrank lever 35 to limit its movement upon the slide 11.

39 is a long link pivoted at 40 to the upper end of the slide 6 and connected at its lower end, through the medium of the link 41, with the upper arm of the bell-crank lever 35.

42 is a crank upon the shaft 27, and 43 is a pitman connecting crank 42 with the long link By the rotation of crank 42 buckler-slide 11 is reciprocated forward and backward, carrying with it the buckling-finger, and at the limit of its forward movement the buckling-finger is elevated, and at the limit of its backward movement the buckling-fim ger is lowered.

In the form of sheet-buckling finger shown in Figs. 1 and 2 I omit the commonly-employed frictional block of rubber and provide in place of it in the free end of the bucklingfinger 12 a suction tube or cup 50, of rubber or other suitable material, which has a flexible tubular connection 51 with an air-pump 52,mounted upon any suitable supportsuch, for instance, as the bracket 6 of the huekling-mechanism slide 6, as shown. tonrod 53 of the pneumatic pump 52 is shown journaled to the crank 42, and by the rotation of the crank the suction in the rubber suction tube or cup is successively made and broken at periods properly timed with regard to the operation of the buckling-fim' ger. The air pump may be otherwise arranged or the suction in the tube or cup 50 may be otherwise created, as well understood in this art.

represents an ordinary air-blast device mounted in any suitable manner in proper relation to the rear of the pile of sheets for supplying air beneath the elevated rear end of the top sheet.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a slight modification of my improved suctional bucklingfinger, in which the ordinary frictional rubber block is retained, and the snctional device is applied to cooperate therewith and increase the hold of the finger upon the sheet without increasing the downward pressure of the finger upon the pile and give the finger the power of lifting the sheet. In this form of the device suitable guide-brackets 66 67 are attached to or formed integral with the yoke end of the buckling-finger 12, and a small metal suction-tube 68 is movably mount ed in the guide-brackets and has flexible tubular connection 69 with any suitable suction device, such as hereinbefore referred to. The suction-tube 68 slides freely in the brackets 66 67 and is confined by the collar 70, resting by gravity upon the pile adjacent to block 65, which is adjustably secured upon The pisthe tube by a set-screw 71. The operation of this modified form of finger is hereinafter explained.

Briefly stated, my invention as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 operates as follows: Assuming that the parts are in the position represented in Fig. 1, the buckling-finger, heldinengagement with the pile with a light pressure by its spring, starts forward, and at the same time the pneumatic pump creates a suction in the tube or cup 50, causing the tube or cup 50 to positively engage the top sheet of the pile and move the corner of the sheet inwardly, buckling or archingit.\ Thebucklingfinger continues to hold the sheet, and when it reaches the limit of its inward stroke the operating mechanism elevates the bucklingfinger approximately vertically from the pile of sheets and moves it backward in elevated position, and as the suction of tube or cup 50 continues for an instant the sheet will remain engaged and be elevated by it. The sheet will thus be supported in elevated position above the pile for a moment during the rearward movement of the buckling-finger, and the buckled rear corners of the sheet are slightly straightened out in elevated position. v

This operation occurs simultaneously at both of the rear corners of the top sheet of the pile, tending to lift or partially lift the entire rear edge of the sheet, and at the proper moment blasts of air are blown in under the top sheet through the air-blast nozzles 60, thereby effectively separating the sheet from the pile and supporting the top sheet throughout its entire extent by a layer or film of air. The feeding-off mechanisms next take the partially-separated sheet from the pile in a manner well understood.

The modified form of buckling-finger shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is designed to operate in substani'iall; the same manneras the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ordinary rubber block is assisted by the suction-tube 68 in taking an effective hold upon the sheet, and when the finger is lifted the suction-tube retains hold of the sheet sufficiently to elevate the rear edge of the sheet for the injection of air, as already described. hen the bucklingfingeris lifted, the collar 70, engaging bracket 67, causes tube 68 to be lifted also.

In place of a pneumatic pump, as shown, I may em ploy a vacuum-chamber suitably connected with the suction-cup and controlled by a suitable valve in a manner Well understood.

My improved suctional bucklingfinger takes an effective hold upon the top sheet of a pile of any kind of paper, it avoids the necessity of employing an excessive downward pressure upon the pile, it insures the positive movement of the top sheet without disturbing the under sheets of the pile, and it holds onto and lifts the top sheet from thepile to facilitate the injection of air under the sheet. With the old form of buckling mechanisms the buckling-finger cannot positively take Having thus described my invention, the.

following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a paper-feeding machine the combination of a suction device adapted to engage a sheet at or near its edge, means for reciproeating and raising and lowering the suction device with relation to the pile, means controlling the suction of said device causing it to engage the sheet, move it inwardly and raise it from the pile, and means for blowing air under the lifted edge of the sheet for separating it from the pile, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a paper-feeding machine the combination of a reciprocating suction device movable inwardly and outwardly over a pile, means for raising and lowering the suction device approximately vertically with relation to the pile, and means controlling the suction of said device causing it to engage thesheet in lowered position, move it inwardly, and lift and hold it in raised position and release the sheet while it is in raised position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a paper-feeding machine the combination of a suction device, means for raising and lowering the suction device approximately vertically with relation to the pile, means for moving the suction device inwardly and outwardly over the pile, means controlling the suction of said device, causing it to engage the sheet in lowered position, move it inwardly and lift it into raised position, and means for feeding the separated sheet off from the pile, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a paper-feeding machine, the combination of a sheet-engaging suction device, operating means arranged to lower the suction device into engagement with the pile, raise it away from the pile and move it outwardly in raised position, and means controlling the suction of said device causing it to positively engage the sheet when in lowered position, carry the sheet inwardly, then raise it and move rearwardly with it, releasing the sheet on its rearward movement in raised position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a paper-feeding machine, the combination of a suitable sheet-buckling mechanism including a buckling-finger, a sheet-engaging suction device, carried by the buckling-finger, and means for intermittently making and breaking the suction of said device, substantially as set forth.

6. In a paper-feeding machine, the combination of a pile-holding clamp or foot, a reciprocating buckling-finger provided with a suction sheet-engaging device, means for in termittently making and breaking the suction in said device, and means for operating the ing adapted to positively engage a sheet of IO buckling-finger and holding foot or clamp, paper, and means for making the suction in substantially as set forth. said device when it is lowered and breaking 7. In a, paper-feeding machine, the colnbithe suction after it is elevated, substantially nation of suitable sheet-buckling mechanas and for the purpose set forth. isms including a suctional buckling-finger ar- TALBOT O. DEXTER. ranged to move inwardly upon the pile in low- Witnesses: ered position and outwardly in raised position, J. GREEN, the suction device of the buckling-finger be- WM. E. KNIGHT. 

